Water in swimming pools must be mechanically filtered in order to be kept free of dirt and debris. To this end, pools have pumps that circulate water through a filter. A skimmer removes debris and large particles from the pool water prior to pumping the water to the filter. The skimmer is typically a well mounted on the side of the pool, with a filter intake at the bottom, having a plastic bucket with openings small enough to strain out leaves, hair, and other large particles without inhibiting the flow of water to the filter. The bucket is usually removable and accessible through a cover located near the pool. Water from the pool usually enters the skimmer well through a weir located at the water line on a lateral wall of the pool. Once water passes into the skimmer well, it flows through the filter intake and enters a pipe that leads to the filter. Since water is actively drawn into the filter intake by a pump, a suction is created at the opening of the filter intake.
Pool vacuums typically consist of a plastic or vinyl hose that fits into the filter intake at the bottom of the skimmer well, after removal of the bucket. Pool vacuums use the suction of the filter intake to remove dirt and debris that have settled to the bottom of the pool.
Unfortunately, when the pool vacuum is used in the manner described above, the debris and particles vacuumed from the bottom of the pool bypass the skimmer and are pumped directly into the filter. Since the filter is primarily designed to remove small particles from the pool water, the presence of the debris and large particles vacuumed from the pool bottom is undesirable. Debris often causes obstructions in the filter line and/or reduces the porous membrane area available for filtration. These conditions both place additional load on the filter pump, and decrease the useful life of the filter itself The prior art teaches complicated and aesthetically displeasing attempts at simultaneous skimming and vacuuming. For instance, in Haliotis, U.S. Pat. No. 4,725,352, a vacuum-skimmer regulator assembly is disclosed that allows for the simultaneous skimming and vacuuming of a pool. However, the invention is a complex and specialized unit and does not allow for the use of the existing pool skimmer. In addition, the vacuum port is not easily accessible, making it difficult to connect and disconnect the vacuum hose. Finally, the invention uses two skimmers within the assembly, an approach inherently more cumbersome to clean and maintain.
If a simple plate with a hose connection is placed over the skimmer basket, a vacuum hose can be used to vacuum, with the debris being caught by the skimmer basket. This is preferable to dumping the debris into the filter, but is awkward to use because the strong suction of the pool filter makes it very difficult to remove the hose when one is done vacuuming. It is necessary to shut down the filter pump to break the suction, disconnect the hose, and then restart the pump. This is a nuisance, and otherwise undesirable.